Cristiano Ronaldo is close to winning the Ballon d'Or with pay: an official farce from the organizers themselves

The organizers of the official Ballon d'Or, whose winner will be announced next Monday in London, are simultaneously promoting on social media a parallel vote, this time by fans and not journalists, to choose another Ballon d'Or. It is precisely the "All-Time Ballon d'Or", which will be selected from among footballers who have won the most important individual award in football at least twice.

So, you can vote for names like Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently leads by a large margin, Ronaldo the Phenomenon, Van Basten, Platini, Rummenigge, Keegan, Beckenbauer, Cruyff and Di Stefano. All of them have won the Ballon d'Or at least twice and, therefore, can be voted for. But… to do so, you have to pay one euro.

What is BOAT, the latest idea of ​​the Ballon d'Or organizers?

Yes, it's true. The latest idea from the Amaury Group, owner of France Football magazine, which historically organizes the Ballon d'Or, aims to promote its award and also — we might add, above all — to make money by exploiting the passion for football of millions of fans around the world. This is precisely this farce, which has been pompously given the name "Ballon d'Or Of All Time", also known by the acronym BOAT. The name naturally reminds one of the much more famous acronym GOAT, which is used to designate the best footballer of all time, at least in ordinary discussions among fans, where nothing is paid.

A grand spectacle without any value, in every respect, not even as a reflection of the true opinion of the fans about this fabricated BOAT. In addition to the fact that only those who can or want to pay the required amount can participate in the vote, there is another “detail” that makes the initiative of the organizers of the Ballon d’Or even more ridiculous, not to mention something much more serious. In the “Questions and Answers” ​​section of the official website, the question of whether “you can vote multiple times” is answered with an answer that is like an open invitation to anyone who wants to push forward the victory of their idol: “Yes, as many times as you want and for any footballer. Each vote requires a contribution of one euro.”

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Messi, as the price of the euro rises

You don't have to be a scientist to understand that this initiative aims to cunningly take advantage of the eternal rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi, by stimulating as much as possible the desire of fans of both to make their idol the winner and humiliate their rival. Because you have to pay one euro for each vote you give. If this amount seems small to you, try to imagine tens and tens of millions of Messi fans, but especially Ronaldo, on the Asian continent. Then think about how many votes each of them can give and do the math, collecting one euro after another: hundreds of millions of euros. There is no doubt that the idea seemed genius to those who thought of it. And, surprisingly, the latest update of the official Ballon d'Or account on X says that "Cristiano Ronaldo is in the lead".

We go even further, predicting that the Portuguese striker will win this “paid Ballon d’Or” by a landslide, thanks to his extremely loyal fan base. This would be a small compensation for his exclusion from this year’s list of 30 candidates, where Messi, on the contrary, is included. If you want to vote too, you have until October 27, 2026, at 11:59 p.m., the day after the Ballon d’Or ceremony — the real one — in London. In exchange for a euro, in addition to the opportunity to cast a vote, you will also receive “an iconic photo of the Ballon d’Or, which you can download and save, as well as the chance to win two tickets to the 71st Ballon d’Or ceremony in 2027”. An offer not to be missed…!